How to Speak Out Against the FCC’s Attempt to Kill Net Neutrality

Posted onMay 11, 2017May 11, 2017

Remember the halcyon days of 2015 when the Federal Communications Commission voted to secure net neutrality in the United States? That was only two years ago, but the FCC is already looking to reverse itself. Ajit Pai, current chair of the FCC, is doing his damnedest to weaken his own commission’s regulatory power over ISPs. If that doesn’t sit right with you, now’s your chance to speak out against the so-called “Restoring Internet Freedom” proposal.

While the process isn’t as intuitive as we’d like, sending your comments to the FCC doesn’t take much time if you know how to do it. So to streamline things, we want to walk you through the process. First thing’s first, head to the “Express Comment” page on the FCC website.

Under the “Proceeding(s)” line, enter “17-108” in the text field. A drop-down should appear, and you’ll want to select “17-108 | Restoring Internet Freedom” from the list. Now, enter all of your legitimate contact information. Fake submissions won’t help the cause to protect net neutrality, so please use your real name and address.

At the bottom, you’ll need to add your position to the “Brief Comments” section. In your own words, explain why it’s important to you that the FCC protects Net Neutrality, and continues to keep ISPs in line.

Once you’re finished, click the “Continue to review screen” button. Now, read over what you’ve entered. If you find a mistake, return to the previous page. If everything’s good to go, click the “Submit” button.

Back in June of 2014, John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight covered the net neutrality issue for a mainstream audience, and it became wildly popular. With nearly 13 million views on YouTube alone, his lengthy segment was something of a flash point for consumer revolt. This week (embedded above), Oliver returns to the issue in hopes of avoiding an awful quagmire.

And since the commenting process is such a hassle, Oliver’s team purchased the URL GoFCCYourself.com to make it easier for his audience to find the proposal. Just click the “+ New Filing” link from that page, and you’ll be taken to the same Express Comment page we referenced earlier.

And it’s not just John Oliver who’s willing to go into the weeds on this topic. Political podcast Lovett or Leave It from Crooked Media sat down with Tim Wu, Columbia Law School professor and originator of the phrase “net neutrality,” to discuss what the FCC is trying to accomplish in the Trump era. Unfortunately for consumers, it’s almost all bad news. That’s why it’s so vital that we speak out loudly right away.

An open commission meeting is currently scheduled for May 18th, and the “Restoring Internet Freedom” proposal is on the agenda. That’s not the make-or-break deadline for protecting net neutrality, but we definitely want to have as much public outcry as possible by the 18th.